Ben and Betty Pop at the abandoned mansion in Cockatoo which they are planning to transform into a modern home, while retaining its original character. Picture: Ian Currie.
The new owners of a once-abandoned mansion in outer Melbourne have revealed the next step of their epic renovation plans for the home.
Betty and Ben Pop purchased the Cockatoo house, set on 5.3ha in the city’s south east, after it had sat vacant and vandalised for several years.
Ranges First National Real Estate Belgrave and Cockatoo’s Mick Dolphin and Anthony Iorlano fielded hundreds of calls from buyers about the graffitied residence, that’s well known in the local area thanks to its prominent position on a busy road, after it was listed in 2024.
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The Pops are currently waiting for Cardinia Shire Council to approve their planning permit for the Cockatoo Mansion’s makeover.
After getting the keys in January 2025, the couple said they expected to spend up to seven figures on the massive project, which they estimate could take up to 2.5 years to complete.
The Pops have been sharing their vision for the house with the Cockatoo Mansion Renovation Project Instagram account’s tens of thousands of followers, at @cockatoomansion, including plans to install an infinity pool and rooftop garden with a water fountain.
A newly-released artist’s video from Berwick-based Tomic Design reveals how the mansion’s interior could look post-renovation, featuring a grand curving staircase with a cast-iron balustrade.
Ben and Betty Pop at Cockatoo Mansion after they got the keys. They have since cut back the tall grass and weeds surrounding the home. Picture: Ian Currie.
When it was listed for sale, the house had broken windows and graffiti throughout. The previous owners had planned to set up a farm there, but never got around to it. Picture: Ian Currie.
Ms Pop said they were looking into whether to install a large fish tank for her 50 or so pet fish near the staircase, or a projector screen which could instead display different images.
“The interior part of the house will be a mix of old school and new school,” Ms Pop said.
“I really like the old style herringbone floorboards and dimmer lights that we can put throughout the house, which can change the mood.”
And regardless of whether they opt for a fish tank or projector, they will have an area specifically designated for their pet fish.
An artist’s render of the how the mansion could look, post-transformation. Picture: Serge@Tomic Design, @cockatoomansion on Instagram.
The new-look mansion will have an infinity pool, if this is approved by the local council. Picture: Serge@Tomic Design, @cockatoomansion on Instagram.
When it comes to the mansion’s sprawling outdoors, a “secret garden type of look” is serving as the inspiration.
“The whole 5ha that surrounds the house is going to have designated areas where you’re going to have a vineyard and a veggie patch area, which is going to be undercover with a pizza oven and a bench,” Ms Pop added.
“And then you’ll have different type of flowers and shrubs and I’m a beekeeper, so I want to have my bees there.”
At the moment, she’s propagating 60 plants of different grape varieties to plant in the vineyard.
Tomic Designs director Serge Tomic of, mansion owner Ben Pop and original architect Alex Tufekcic at Cockatoo Mansion. Picture: Instagram @cockatoomansion.
The mansion as it looked in 2007, when original owners Miodrag Boljanac and his wife Radmila put it on the market. At the time, it sold to new owners who, in turn, sold to current owners Ben and Petty Pop. Picture: Jay Town.
In another exciting development, Mr and Ms Pop also tracked down and interviewed the home’s original architect, Alex Tufekcic, who now lives in Western Australia.
This helped to uncover the abode’s previously-unknown backstory, with Mr Tufekcic designing the house for a Romanian-born man named Miodrag Boljanac and his wife Radmila, whom he began collaborating with in the 1960s.
The Boljanacs lived at the address with Mr Boljanac’s parents after immigrating from Yugoslavia to Australia, and spent eight years building the home.
Mr Tufekcic being shown around the property by Mr Pop. Instagram @cockatoomansion.
One of the house’s original owners, Radmila Boljanac, dusting some of the many flowers decorating the mansion’s interior back when the home was listed in 2007. Picture: Jay Town.
The Pops hosted Mr Tufekcic on a recent visit to the mansion where he met Tomic Design director Serge Tomic to find out more about the future renovation plans.
“It was absolutely incredible seeing them talking, older generation meeting the new,” Ms Pop said.
Mr Tufekcic’s advice for their Grand Designs-scale transformation was, “To never to stop, because the house is solid and strong, just to keep persevering.”
He’s keen to revisit when they have finished the build in a few years’ time.
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